Springfield, Mass. (October 9, 2024) – WNE hosted the Trinity College Bantams on Wednesday afternoon. The Golden Bears saw a penalty kick goal from Roger Leland put them in the lead in the first half. Tyler Lewis would double the lead before halftime and give WNE a 2-0 lead at the break. Chris Connelly would net a goal in the 83rd minute to cut the lead in half. However, the Golden Bears would hold on for the 2-1 victory.

Records:

• Western New England: 5-6-3 (1-1-1)
• Trinity College: 2-8-0 (0-6-0)

How it Happened:

With Braylon Casinghino and Matt Birnhak in net for the Golden Bears and Bantams, respectfully, the game got underway. The Bantams got started quickly with a corner kick and a blocked shot in the 2nd and 3rd minutes of the game. Then, the Golden Bears started to apply pressure. They had a corner kick in the 6th minute and a shot from Tyler Lewis, which struck the right goalpost in the 8th minute. The Bantams responded with a shot that went wide left in the 11th minute. Play went back and forth for the next twelve minutes, with neither team able to find a major opportunity. Then, a shot from WNE flew wide of the net in the 23rd minute, and the 26th minute saw the same. The Bantams responded with a shot wide of Casinghino in net. Then, the Golden Bears earned a corner kick in the 30th minute and had a shot go over the net in the 32nd minute.

The 34th minute saw the WNE pressure breakthrough. A Trinity College foul in the penalty box led to Roger Leland taking the penalty kick. Leland ran in and fired a shot into the bottom left corner of the goal. The Golden Bears led 1-0. The Golden Bears would see another major opportunity arise in the 39th minute. Keegan Reim took a corner kick from the left corner. The pass flew into the penalty box and was redirected into the bottom-left corner of the net by Tyler Lewis to give the Golden Bears a 2-0 lead. The Bantams responded with a shot, which went wide of the net in the 41st minute. The Golden Bears saw a shot saved by Birnhak and a shot go over the goal in the 43rd minute. Those were the final goal-scoring opportunities of the first half, and the Golden Bears led 2-0 at halftime. The first-half stats saw the Golden Bears take more shots 8-4, more shots on goal 3-0, and earn more corner kicks 3-1. The Bantams led in fouls 10-4 and saves 1-0.

The second half saw the Bantams start strong again. They earned a corner kick in the 48th minute. Then, the Golden Bears answered with a shot that sailed high and wide of the net in the 52nd minute. The same minute saw Shay O'Neill send a shot sliding from left to right at the goalie. Birnhak made a diving save to keep the deficit at two. However, that led to a WNE corner kick. That opportunity was turned away by the Bantams. The Bantams would gain momentum through shots in the 58th and 59th minutes. Neither was on goal, but they were generating more offensive opportunities. The Golden Bears tried to cut the momentum with a shot in the 61st minute. However, the Bantams returned with more momentum. They earned a corner kick in the 63rd minute and had a shot go wide in the 65th minute. They had a shot blocked by the WNE defense in the 71st minute and earned another corner-kick opportunity in the 73rd minute. Nick Edward answered for WNE with a shot to the bottom left corner of the goal, which Birnhak had to parry away for a WNE corner kick in the 78th minute.

Later that minute, Felix Schmidt would enter the game at goalie for Birnhak. Keegan Reim tested Schmidt in the 82nd minute. Schmidt made the save. The 83rd minute saw Nick Bellak run down the right side of the field with a goal-scoring opportunity. Bellak sent a hard shot at Casinghino, who made the save. However, Chris Connelly was waiting for the rebound and put the ball into the back of the net to cut the WNE lead in half, 2-1. The Bantams kept the momentum rolling with two more shots and a corner kick after that, but neither shot would test Casinghino, and the corner kick was handled by the WNE defense. The game would end shortly after, with the Golden Bears winning their third game in a row by a score of 2-1. The final stats showed WNE having more shots 13-12 and shots on goal 6-2. The Bantams had more saves, 4-1, and fouls, 19-9. Both teams had five corner kicks.

Coach's Corner

Head coach Devin O'Neill was asked what he thought about going into conference play with a three-game win streak. "Yeah, big six games (next on the schedule), and we're heading in a positive direction, which is really good. I hope the boys feel positive about that and big test on Saturday. We gotta get ready, and we'll give them our best," O'Neill responded. O'Neill was also asked if he had a comment on how the team played in the 2-1 win. "It was kind of a tale of two halves. Trinity made a good adjustment at halftime, which proved to be problematic, but we held on and got an important win," O'Neill stated.

Goalkeeper Braylon Casinghino was asked what it took for the team to see the win through to the end after Trinity College got a goal back late in the game. "I think it was just our mindset. We kept a positive mindset throughout the game. Unfortunate to let in one," Casinghino mentioned. "We got a little tired towards the end, mental slip, and they (Trinity College) capitalized, and good teams will do that. But we got the win against a very excellent opposition. Good to go three in a row (wins) moving into Senior Day on Saturday against Wentworth. Hopefully we can get a fourth." Casinghino also talked a little bit about seeing the ball well tonight and making runs at the ball early. "It was really just about timing, seeing how far they (Trinity College) were playing the ball, see the back line drop their head, you know they're gonna play that ball long. Picking up the balls in the air, just making sure timing is right," Casinghino stated.

Inside the Lines:

• The Golden Bears welcomed Trinity College to campus on Wednesday afternoon.
• 33:36 – Roger Leland opened the game's scoring with a penalty kick goal. The Golden Bears led 1-0.
• 38:38 – Tyler Lewis scored off a corner kick assist from Keegan Reim. The Golden Bears led 2-0.
• 82:45 – Chris Connelly cut the WNE lead in half with a goal. Nick Bellak was credited with the assist. WNE led 2-1.
• Matt Birnhak and Felix Schmidt totaled four saves on six shots on goal.
• Braylon Casinghino made one save and let up one goal to lead the Golden Bears to a victory.
• The Golden Bears beat the Bantams 2-1.

Up Next on the Schedule:

• WNE will host the Wentworth Institute of Technology on Saturday, October 12, 2024, at 2:30 PM for their Senior Day.
• Trinity will host Bowdoin College in West Hartford, Connecticut, on Saturday, October 12, 2024, at 11:00 AM.